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Social Inequality in the Works of Ousmane Sembène

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Social Inequality in the Works of Ousmane Sembène 2018 HAWAII UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES ARTS, HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES & EDUCATION JANUARY 3 - 6, 2018 PRINCE WAIKIKI HOTEL, HONOLULU, HAWAII SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN THE WORKS OF OUSMANE SEMBÈNE MCINTOSH, YVONNE ENGLISH AND MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA Dr. Yvonne McIntosh English and Modern Languages Department Florida A&M University Tallahassee, Florida. Social Inequality in the Works of Ousmane Sembène Synopsis: Ousmane Sembène, the father of African cinema, is noted for his thought provoking in- depth analysis of the human condition in both his novels and films. Political, social, economic and women’s rights issues are foremost in these portrayals. Sembène’s body of work was dedicated in demonstrating the plight of the underclass, the poor and the disfranchised. This paper focuses on three of his works that underscore social inequality in African society: Xala (1973), Le Mandat (The Money Order) written in 1966 and La Noire de (Black Girl), found in his collection of short stories, Voltaïque (Tribal Scars), published in 1962. McIntosh 1 Social Inequality in the Works of Ousmane Sembène Yvonne E. McIntosh Ousmane Sembène, the father of African cinema, is noted for his thought provoking in- depth analysis of the human condition in both his novels and films. Political, social, economic and women’s rights issues are foremost in his portrayals. Sembène’s body of work was dedicated in demonstrating the plight of the underclass, the poor and the disenfranchised. Even as a young man, Sembène was an active member in labor unions. He helped to organize a strike against the Dakar-Niger railroad which assisted workers in securing improved working conditions. This study focuses on social inequality viewed in three of Sembène’s works. However, before analyzing the social inequality in these works, the state of inequality in sub- Saharan Africa as well as the meaning of the term “social inequality” must be gleaned. “Social inequality refers to disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income as well as between the overall quality and luxury of each person’s existence within a society.”1 The data from Afritorial magazine states that “Africa [is] home to seven of the world’s fastest- growing economies, with 70% of Africa’s population living in countries that have averaged economic growth rates in excess of 4 per cent over the past decade and result in the region increasing the pace of growth well beyond 5 per cent over the next two years” (1). The article continues by citing the 2012 Africa Progress Report on Jobs, Justice and Equity which “warns McIntosh 2 that Africa’s strong economic growth trajectory is at risk because of rising inequality and marginalization of whole sections of society” (Afritorial 2). In the article, Combating Inequality in Africa, according to a 2005 study by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA): [It] was reported that in recent decades, African and Latin American countries have had the highest levels of inequality in income. Such inequality meant that when economic downturn or disaster struck, those at the bottom of the income scale, the most vulnerable, were hurt disproportionately. And when national incomes rose, those at the top benefited the most, while the poor saw few gains, if any. (Harsh 3) The article also mentions that “the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa living in absolute poverty (with incomes of less than one dollar per day) doubled during those two decades, according to the DESA report” (Harsh 4). This view of social inequality as well as economic inequality serves as the back drop and underlying cause of turmoil in the three works studied here by Ousmane Sembène: Xala (1973), Le Mandat (1966) (Mandabi, the film title) and La Noire de… (1962). Though the texts were written in the 20th century, the plight of the poor, portrayed in these works, still exists today. In Xala, the misfortunate and weak, the poor and the disadvantaged are mistreated by the protagonist El Hadji Abdou Kader Beye (El Hadji), a nouveau riche. One sees the failures and ultimate downfall of this neo-colonial Senegalese businessman. His unscrupulous business dealings and his inability to care for three wives and pay his debts have led to his financial and moral downfall. Sembène underscores how the rich believe they are above the law and how the disadvantaged make El Hadji pay for his abuse of the system. El Hadji loses his manhood, two of his wives, and at the end, is subjugated by the very people that he had abused. McIntosh 3 For ten years, El Hadji and his partners worked diligently so that they could become members of the Chamber of Commerce. They also strove to have one of their members become the President of this organization. That day finally arrived. El Hadji became President of the Chamber. Now they believed that they had achieved prestige, power, and wealth. This is also the day that El Hadji, in the polygamous tradition, married his third wife. “Cette troisième union le hissait au rang de la notabilité traditionnelle. En même temps, c’était une promotion” ‘This third union rasied him to the rank of traditional nobility. At the same time, it was a promotion’2 (Xala 12). El Hadji came from a modest background. He was a former elementary school teacher who turned his attention to trade-union activities before venturing into the grocery trade business. Before becoming a member of the Chamber, he undertook many business schemes, most of them unsuccessful. He went from being the oppressed to becoming the oppressor. In his African Literatures: An Introduction, Oyeken Owomoyela reminds us that “the Africans who replaced Europeans as rulers were seen to have taken over their predecessors’ exploitation of the African masses” (104). Oftentimes, in front of his business, on the sidewalk, there were beggars seeking El Hadji’s aid. He would either insist that they leave or he would have the police remove them. It is later discovered that one of these beggars cursed El Hadji with impotency or xala, causing him not to be able to consummate his third marriage. His impotency is not only physical but it is also a metaphor for his impotency to help his people and his continuing the policies of social inequity and suffering. El Hadji seeks desperately a cure to his problem. He spends a fortune in search of a cure and borrows heavily to pay for a solution. He finally is cured but El Hadji reneges on a McIntosh 4 debt and he is once again cursed with impotency. Concomitantly, he reneges on his responsibility to help his country defeat poverty and social injustice. Through his journey to seek a cure, one learns about the social conditions of present-day Africa, for not only is El Hadji impotent, but also the governmental agencies are afflicted with xala. Throughout El Hadji’s odyssey, he unveils various conditions synonymous to an ineffective government. El Hadji goes bankrupt unable to pay his debts, just as many countries have gone bankrupt, unable to pay their debts. Finally he is expelled from his business circle because his bad credit has jeopardized the group’s financial standing. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the beggar who continually came to his store seeking aid was one of the men El Hadji’s family stole from back in the village. Because El Hadji’s father was the chief of the village and his name was on the property, he sold the land that belonged to the village, leaving his people helpless and profiting from the goods, keeping the money for himself. The beggar recounts the story: Te rappelles-tu avoir vendu un grand terrain situé Diéko (Jéko), appartenant à notre clan? Après avoir falsifié les noms claniques avec la complicité des hauts-placés, tu nous as expropriés. Malgré nos doléances, nos preuves de propriétés de clan, devant les tribunaux nous fûmes déboutés. Non content de t’être approprié notre bien, tu me fis arrêter et jeter en prison. Pourquoi? . Simplement parce que tu nous as volés! Volé d’une façon légale en apparence. (184-185) Do you remember selling a large piece of land at Jeko belonging to our clan? After falsifying the clan names with the complicity of people in high places, you took our land from us. In spite of our protests, our proof of ownership, we lost our case in the courts. Not satisfied with taking our land you had me thrown into prison. Why? . Simply McIntosh 5 because you had robbed us. Robbed us with all the appearances of legality. (Wake 99- 100) The beggar who had often haunted El Hadji with his singing, offers El Hadji a second chance to have his xala excised. El Hadji must go through a humiliating ritual to have his xala removed. He willingly submits to the ritual. He has reached a prise de conscience and is cognizant of his past errors and is willing to undergo the ceremony. Thus, one hopes that a remedy for Africa’s problems will soon be found. As El Hadji decided to change, so too, must the government and its citizens find solutions to Africa’s social, economic and political dilemmas. The novel also illustrates the social dysfunctional elements of neo-colonialism. El Hadji loses his identity as a member of the community. He had sought solace in the fact that he could wear European suits, gold watches, drive a black Mercedes, drink only imported mineral water and afford three wives. However, all was based on a shallow foundation as previously mentioned. First of all, he had obtained his wealth dishonestly, becoming rich through the misery and suffering of others.
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